Hair-pin



(3AA. PACKARD.

(No Model.)

HAIR PIN.

No. 593,903. Patented Nov. 16, 1897.

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UNIIED- STATES PATENT QFFICE.

CLARENCE A. PACKARD, OF CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA.

HAIR-PIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of :Letters Patent No. 593,903, dated November 16, 1897. Application at my a, 1897. Serial No 643,879. (No model.)

T at whom it may con oern: I Be it known that I, OLA RENOE A. PACKARD,

of Charleston, in the county of Kanawha and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hair-Pins; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable-others skilled in the art to which it pertains tomake and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specificareadily inserted in the hair of the user without disturbing the arrangement thereof and constructed and provided with arms or prongs which can be thrown laterally outward at the inner end of the body of the pin to en- ,gage the hair in a manner to prevent its removal without first retracting the armsor prongs. With this end in view I provide the pin with a hollow body portion having a plunger and movable arms or prongs operatively connected therewith, so that the prongs are normally retracted within the pin and then by the inward movement of the plunger or rod the arms are projected and catch in thehair 'of the wearer in such a manner as to prevent its removal without first drawing outward upon the rod or plunger, thereby retracting the arms or prongs within the hollow body.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 .is a perspective View of a pin which embodies my invention, the movable prongs or arms being shown projected in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a similar view taken at right angles to Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the casing, taken longitudinal of its handle end and showing a modified form of locking device; and Fig. 5 is a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

A indicates a hollow casing formingthe body of the pin, andwhich is preferably made movable rod or plunger D, being guided at its opposite ends by the internal shoulders at and 2', respectively, of the casing or body A. The forward end of the pin is pointed, as shown at B, and this pointed portion may be made solid, as here shown, or hollow, as found most desirable.

The opposite end of the'casing is provided with outwardly-curved integral arms 0, which serve as a handle in inserting the pin and also as a stop to limit the inward movement thereof when placing the pin in position. As shown, the casing is provided with lateral openings e at opposite sides thereof and at points just inside the solid or pointed endB,

through which the locking arms or projections 1) are adapted to pass when the rod or plunger D is moved inward. The arms 6 are curved or made of shear blade form and crossed attheir outer ends, their inner ends being pivoted to the inner end of the operating-rod D. The distance between the guide a and the inner end of the headB is sufficient to form a chamber of a length adapted to receive the arms I), and the guide a performs the additional function of forming a stop to limit the outward movement of the operating-rod, to indicate to the user when the locking-arms b are withdrawn, and that the pin can then be withdrawn from the hair without disarranging it, and also as a means to prevent the withdrawal of the rod from the casing, and always maintaining the parts in the proper position to be readily manipulated.

Attention is directed to the wedge-shaped inner end 61 of the head B, which lies between the crossed ends of the arms I), as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2, and outside of the point of intersection of the arms. The function of too this is to serve as a wedge to cause the ready and easy separation of the arms, so that they are always guided properly and easily through the openings ewith the least possible friction. It is desirable to have the arms projected with as little friction as possible, in order that the user can with the least possible effort project the arms, and which makes the disarrangement of the hair in the extending operation less liable.

The arms 0 at the inner end of the casing are used as a handle for inserting the pin in the hair and as a holding means while the arms are being projected, should this for any reason be necessary. However, it is designed that the pin will operate by and with the use of a single hand, the fingers being first used for holding the arms or arm 0 for inserting the pin, and then by placing a finger of the same hand upon the head or handle G of the outer end of the rod force it inward and thereby the locking-arms outward. This head G is here shown of conical form to approximately correspond with the inner end of the pin. However, it will be readily conceived that this head G may be of an ornamental form, and that the arms also may be of an ornamental form, so that the head and the arms will, when the pin is in position in the hair, form an ornament for the head of the weareras, for instance, the arms can be so shaped as to represent the leaves of some flower and the head the petals, which would make the pin very ornamental as well as useful and effective for holding the hair without any danger of being displaced.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the handle end of the case is shown as slotted at one edge to form the tongue f, which, acting in conjunction with a shoulder or projection m upon the outer end of the rod D, serves to hold the rod within the casing, and therefore thelocking-arms Z) outward. In Fig. 4 I show a slight modification of this construction, which consists in providing a collar 01, engaged by tongues s, which serve the same function.

It will be seen that with a pin constructed with the outwardly-projecting arms the pin will be held against displacement, which is a source of continual annoyance to ladies and especially to bicycle-riders.

In operation it is designed that the spring tongue or tongues f will bear with sufficient friction laterally upon the rod D at all points so that the rod will not fall endwise within the casin g after being Withdrawn should the pin be held point downward. All of the parts will be as light as possible consistent with sufiicient strength.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. Ahair-pin comprisingahollow body having near one end lateral openings, an operating-rod within and having one end project through the opposite end of the body, lockingarms pivoted to the opposite end of the rod and adapted to be projected and retracted through said openings, the body having a combined guide and stop for said rod situated a distance from the said openings equal to the length of said locking-arms, substantially as described.

2. A hair-pin comprising a hollow body having near one end lateral openings, an operat= ing-rod within and having one end project through the opposite end of the body, lockingarms pivoted to the opposite end of the rod and adapted to be projected and retracted through said openings, the end of the body opposite the openings havinga yielding lock engaging said rod and holding it within the body, substantially as described.

3. A hair-pin comprising a casing having near one end lateral openings, an operatingrod within and having one end project through the opposite end of the body, locking-arms pivoted tothe opposite end of the rod, the casing having therein a wedge or tapered projection d extending inward between said openings and arms, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CLARENCE A. PACKARD.

\Vitnesses:

A. S. PATTISON, IIUBERT E. PEoK. 

